A fresh, commanding, and thought-provoking history of the competing American and Russian empires The American road to empire started when the first English settlers landed in Virginia. Simultaneously, the first Russians crossed the Urals, and the two empires that would dominate the twentieth century were born. Empires Apart reveals how the two empires developed in parallel as they expanded to the Pacific and launched wars against the nations around them. Provocatively, Landers shows how the broad sweep of American history follows a consistent path from the first settlers to the present day and, by comparing this with Russia's imperial path, demonstrates the true nature of American global ambitions.